Cracking-off machine



Oct'. 31, 1939. A, B KNlGHT `2,177,807 l CRACKING-OFF MACHINE Filed Jan. 28, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. B. KNIGHT Oct. 31,1939.

CRACKING OFF MACHINE Filed Jan. 28, 1957 5 sheets-sheet, 3

: Oct. 31,1939.

A. B. `KNlcsl-rl" CRACKING-OFF MACHINE Filed Jan. 28, 1937 5 Shets-Sheet 4 v 'All llll `Patented Oct. 31, 1939 y UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE,

18 Claims.

This invention relatesto cracking oil! machines, and more particularly to a machine automatically operative for cracking off the cullets from tumblers and similar articles of glassware.

lI'he methods employedl in blowing tumblers and similar articles of glassware are well known, and after the iron has been broken 01T upon the completion of the blowing operation, it is necessary to crack oif the cullet or excess glass at the approximate edge of the finished article. 'This operation for many years vhas been performed by rigidly supporting the glassware and rotating it against a diamond cutting point to etch a line around the ware in a plane at right angles to the axis thereof. The ware is, then subjected to the action of a burner which heats and expands the glass adjacent the etched line, thus causing it to crack off on such line.

The glass cracks off onlyiairly accurately in the plane of the etched line, the cracked of! edge being ordinarily slightly wavy and irregular and not lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of the ware, due to the irregularity of the cracking action. After the cracking oil' operation, it is the common practice to grind the edge of the ware to a fiat surface, and then glaze the ware by subjecting the ground edge thereof to the action oi' a heating burner to soften the glass and cause the edge thereof to iiow into a smooth polished surface.

The former cracking off method referred to is necessarily extremely slow due to the necessity for rigidly supporting each individual article of glassware, etching the line around the ware whilel holding it rigidly in position, and then transferring the etched ware to the cracking oil' burner.

In a factory manufacturing a large number of articles of glassware, the etching. and crackingofl A further object is to provide a method which 4is capable of being practiced without rigidly supporting the ware either before or during the cracking off operation, thus greatly increasing production and reducing the cost of the ware.

A further object is to -provide a nvel apparams for cracking 01T. articles cf glassware with out rigidly supporting the ware or etching a line around the ware to determine the point at which the ware will be cracked oil. v Y

' A further object is to provide anapparatus having simple glass supporting devices each 5 adapted to support an article of glassware without being gripped thereby, and to provide novel means operative in conjunction with the glass supporting devices for accurately cracking of! the ware.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of the character referred to wherein the glass s upporting devices are provided with means for heating the glass articles around narrow lines, and wherein the supporting devices are relatively 15 movable with respect to a crack-initiating element `to crack off successive glass articles.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this character which is automatically continuous in its operation, and wherein large numbers of 2'0 glass articles may be cracked off with the use of a single operator to feed the apparatus.

A further object is to provide a novel take-ofi' and conveying means for the successive glasses as they are cracked ofi', thus eliminating the necessity for the provision of an operator to remove the cracked-off ware from the machine.

A further object is to provide novel means for swinging the burners to inoperative position prior to the engagement of the successive glass articles with the crack-initiating device to prevent the latter from being subjected to the action of the burner, and to permit an operator to safely feed successive articles of glassware to the apparatus. 35

A further object is to provide novel means for adjusting the apparatus to crack oil? glass articles according to their desired length.

' A further object is to provide an apparatus adapted to simultaneously support a plurality of 0 glass articles for the purpose stated, and to provide means for simultaneously adjusting the glass supporting devices according to the desired length of the glass articles.

A further object is to provide novel glass supporting devices which are ,adapted to support the glass articles on their sides and to normally feed the articles against a stop to determine the' length at which the ware will be cracked oiI.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course oi' the following description.

In the drawings I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same,

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 3--3 of Figure 2, parts being shown in elevation,

Figure, 4 is a central vertical sectional view through the apparatus taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view on line 6-6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a similar view on line 1-1 of Figure 2,

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail sectional vie on line 8--8 of Figure 2, and,

Figure 9 is a similar v iewvon line 9?-9 of Figure 2.

Referring to Figures 1 and 4, the numeral IBR.

designates a relatively heavy cast base which supports the entire apparatus, as will become apparent. A socket II is bolted on the base and receives the lower end of a relatively heavy vertical standard I2. It will be noted that the socket iI supports the shaft I2 and iixes the latter against rotation. Aside from the power source and transmission for driving the apparatus, all of the parts of the vapparatus are supported by the standard I2.

A motor I3 is mounted on a base I4 slidable in suitable guides I5 secured to the main base I0. A screw shaft I6, operable by a crank I1, is adapted to adjust the motor I3 with respect to the guides I5 to determine the transmission ratio, as will become apparent. A pointer I8, carried by the motor I3, moves over a scale I9 to indicate the driving ratio. This mechanism per se, forms no part of the present invention and, together with the variable transmission to be-described, may be constructed in atcordance with the disclosure in my copending application Serial No. 89,941, filed June l2, 1936.

A belt 2|) passes around the pulley 2| of the motor and around a pair of cone pulleys 22, which are urged toward each other by spring means (not shown), preferably of the type disclosed in my copending application referred to. I'he spring means urge the cones 22 toward each other and thus urge the belt 20 radially outwardly with respect to the cones, the effective diameter of these cones being determined in accordance with the adjusted position of the motor I3.

The cones 22 are keyed or otherwise secured to a shaft 23 supported on the base I0 by bearings 24. The shaft 23 carries a worm 25 (Figure 4) meshing with a worm wheel 26 mounted upon a vertical shaft 21. The lower en d of this shaft is supported in a bearing 28 carried by the base I0.

A horizontal circular plate 29 is spaced above the base I and is provided with a hub 30 rigidly secured to the standard I2. The plate 29 is provided with a peripheral ring gear 3| for a purpose to be described. A bearing sleeve 32 is rotatable on the standard I2 above the plate 29. A ring gear 33 is rigidly secured to the sleeve 32 and is supported on the plate 29 by a thrust bearing 34. A circular supporting plate 35 is arranged above the ring gear 33 and is provided with a hub 36 rigidly secured to the sleeve 32. It will be apparent that the gear 33 and plate 35 rotate about the axis of the standard I2, and the ring gear 33 is driven by a pinion 31 carried by the upper end of the shaft 21.

The supporting plate 35 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 38 in which are arranged the upper ends 0f Velll bearings 38 each bearing having a ange 4|! by means of which it is secured with respect to the plate 35. The bearings 35 are concentrically arranged with respect to the standard I2 and ring gear 28, and each bearing rotatably supports a vertical shaft'4l carrying a pinion 42 at its lower end meshing with the ring gear 3|. Accordingly it will be apparent that as the supporting plate 35 rotates about the axis of the standard I2, each shaft 4| is rotated on its own axis.

The plate 35 supports a bearing 43 on its upper face adjacent the upper end of each shaft 4I. vEach bearing 43 rotatably supports a horizontal shaft 44 arranged radially with respect to the standard I2. Each shaft 44 carries a bevel gear 45 at its outer end meshing with a similar gear 46 carried by the upper end of the corresponding shaft 4 I. It will be noted that the bottom of each bevel gear 48 engages the upper end of the corresponding bearing 39, and thus it will be apparent that the bevel gears 46, shafts 4| and pinions i2 are supported by the respective bearings 39. Rotation of each shaft 4| on its own axis, in the manner referred to, drives the corresponding shaft 44, and each of these shafts carries a drive gear 41 at its inner` end, for a purpose to be described.

The plate 35 supports a bearing 48 radially in- I wardly of each of the bearings 43, and each bearing 48 is provided at its upper end with a pair of bearing openings 43 (Figure 5) which are substantially radial with respect to the standard I2. for a reason which will become apparent. A pair of conical rollers 50 is associated with each bearing 46, each of the rollers 50 being provided at its inner end with a shaft rotatable in one of the bearing openings 49. The outer ends of the rollers 50 are provided with axial pins or stub shafts 52 (Figure 6) rotatable in the upper ends of brackets 53. The upper end of each bracket 53 is substantially semi-circular and has its upper face curved inwardly as at 54 to terminate in a semicircular line lying substantially coincident with the corresponding portion of the circular outer end of the corresponding roller 50. The purpose of this construction will become apparent during the following description.

The inner end of each roller 50 is provided with a pinion 55 and each pair of pinions 55 meshes With one of the gears 41. It will be apparent that the axes of the rollers 50 are arranged radially with respect to the standard I2, and accordingly the axes of the pinions 55 of each pair are arranged at a slight angle with respect to each other. 'I'he pinions 55 are preferably spur gears, and each gear 41 is preferably slightly beveled to compensate for the slight angularity between the axes of the gears 55. The rollers 50 of each pair are adapted to support an article of glassware 56. Since the axes of the rollers 50 are horizontal and the rollers taper to decrease in diameter radially. inwardly, it will be apparent that the glass articles will lie in an inclined position as shown in Figures 3, 4, 6 and 7. The supporting of the ware in an inclined position causes it to tend to move radially inwardly with respect to the axisl of the support I2, and means are provided for limiting the inward movement of the ware in adjusted positions in accordance with the desired length of the finished ware. Referring to Figures 3 and 7. it will be noted that each bearing 4B supports a supplemental bearing 51 thereabove, and this bearing is slightly tilted from the horizontal for a purpose to be described. A Shaft 58 is mounted in each bearing 51 and has a substantial portion bf one end threaded as at 68. The shaft 68, including the threaded port tion thereof. is slidable in the bearing 51 but is threaded in a bevel gear 60. Rotation of this gear, in a manner to be described, moves the shaft 68 axially with respect tothe bearing 51, and the shaft is splined in the bearing as at 6| to prevent it from rotating with respect thereto.

Each shaft 58 is provided at its outer end with a stop member 62 having an outer' face 63 arranged approximately at right angles to the axis of an article of glassware supported on the corresponding rollers 50. The face 83 limits the radially inward movement of the ware and thus positions it for the cracking off operation in accordance with the desired height at whichthe ware is to be cracked off. Each member 62 is adjustable radially with respect to the apparatus by being moved axially in its corresponding bearing 51, in a manner to be described, and the in clination of this bearing is such that the axis of the shaft 58 is approximately parallel to the axis of each article of glassware being cracked off.

Ordinarily, nothing more is necessary to support the ware in position other than the rollers 50 and stop members 62. Anv additional positioning device may be employed, however, 'in connection with ware which is relatively lshort so that it might beoverbalanced by the cullets 64 left on the ware afterv the irons are broken oil. Such additional positioning device may comprise a plate 65 secured to the stop member 62 by a bolt 66 having a wing nut 61, the stop member 62 being vertically slotted as at 68 (Figure 7) to permit vertical adjustment of the member 651. The latter member may be provided with downwardly diverging arms 69 adapted to receivethe base portion of an article of glassware therebeneath when the apparatus is being used for cracking olfV ware which would be overbalanced by the weight of the cullets 64. Ordinarily the additional positioning member 65 may be omitted.

The shafts '58 are simultaneously rotated to adjust the stop members 62. The bevel pinions mesh with a bevel gear 10 carried by 'a circular plate 1|. As shown in Figure 4, the plate 1.| has a hub portion 12 rotatably mounted on thev standard i2 and supported on the plate 35 by a thrust bearing 18. It will Abe noted that the bevel-pin ions 60 have their hub portions engaging the bearings 51 to prevent radially outward movement of the pinions 60. The inner extremities of these pinions engage an annular ring 14 carried by the plate 1|, and accordingly radially inward movement of the pinions-60 isprevented.

A single operating handle is adapted to rotate the bevel gear 10 and thus simultaneously rotate all of the pinions 60 to adjust the stop members 62. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the numeral 15v designates a bearing carried by and projecting upwardly above the plate 35 and rotatably supporting a` shaft 16. At its radially inner end, the shaft 16 carries a bevel pinion 11 which is similar to the bevel pinions 80 and is arranged between` a pair of the latter pinions.` It will be noted that the pinion 11 also meshes with the gear 10, and the outerend of the shaft 16 carries a disk 18 provided with an operating handle 19 whereby the shaft 16 may be rotated to turn the bevel gear 10.

Inasmuch as all of the stop members 62 are simultaneously adjusted, a single scale may be provided for determining the positions of the stop members in accordance with 4the desired finished height of the glassware. Referring to Figure 2, it will be noted that one of the stop members 62, preferably adjacent the handle 19, is provided with al laterally extending pointer 80 operating over a scale 8| preferably calibrated in inches. The scale 8l may be supported above the plate 35 by suitable brackets 82. 'Ihe turning of theI handle 19 moves the indicating finger 80 along the scale 8l, and all of the stop members will occupy the position indicated by the scale 8|. A horizontal ring 83 is arranged `above and parallel to the plate 35 and is supported thereby through the medium'of a plurality of circumferentially spaced posts 84. Accordingly it will be apparent that the ring 83 is supported for rotation with the plate 35. The ring 83 supports a plurality of burners which are employed in the cracking off operation. f

Referring to Figures 2, 4 and 7, the numeral 95 designates a plurality of radially arranged bearings each having laterally extending wings 86 bolted against the upper face of the ring 83, as at 81. Each of the bearings slidably and rotatably supports a shaft 88 upon the outer end of which is secured a burner support 89. Each burner support includes an inwardly extending sleeve 90 terminating in a ring 9| provided with a cam finger 92 corresponding in shape to and normally arranged in a cam recess 93 formed in the outer end of the associated bearing 85.

Each shaft 88 is provided inwardly of the bearing 85 with an arm 94 in the end of which is arranged-a roller 95 for a purpose to be described.

The arms 94 are normally arranged at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the'horizontal.

.Each arm 94 is provided with a hub portion 96 by 'which the arm is secured to the shaft 88, and a compression spring 91 is arranged between each hub 96 and the adjacent end of the corresponding bearing 85. The springs 91 urge the arms 94 radially inwardly, thus transmitting similar movement to `the shafts 88 and burner supports 89. The cam fingerv 92 and cam recess. 93 engageeach other to swing the burnersupport to a normal position to be described, and upon turning movement of the arm 94 by means to be referred -to the engagement o'f the cam elements moves each shaft 88 toward the left as Each burner support 89 is provided in its outer end with a recess 98 closed by a plate 99 to form a rectangular opening receiving a pipe |00 of rectangular cross-section. Each pipe |00 is ar- The lower end of each pipe |00 is provided with aburner. |03 which comprises a cast bodyhaving a manifold space |04 therein communicating with a series of small passages |05 which, in turn, communicate with larger Iopenings |06 drilled into the lower face of the burner. A plug |01 is arranged in each of the openings |06 to break up the flow of gas into a series of small jets, the upper end of each opening |06 forming a small burner nozzle. These nozzles are arranged in a straight line and combine to provide a relatively long and narrow flame which is projected toward the glassware to heat the latter around a restricted zone as the ware isx rotated by the 'rollers 50. The burner |03 fprms no part of the present invention per se and any suitable type of burner may be employed which is capable of projecting a flame of the character referred to.

It is preferred, however, that a burner'of the type Moreover, the angular arrangement of the burnerA permits vertical adjustment of the latter without causing the flame to move longitudinally with respect to the glassware. It will be apparent, therefore, that upon adjustment of the position of the stops 62 for glassware of a given height, the burner may be adjusted up and down according to the diameter of the glassware without rendering the seating of the stop members 62 inaccurate. In other words, the axis of each pipe |00 is parallel to the outer face B3 of the associated stop member, and the distance between the flame of each burner and the bottom of the ware engaging the surface 63 will not vary regardless of the adjusted height of the burners.

Each burner is vertically adjusted by means of a screw shaft |08 having its ,lower end threaded in a boss |09 carried by the plate 99 (Figure 3). The shaft is rotatable in a boss ||0 carried by a collar I Il secured to the corresponding pipe |00, collars I|2 being secured to the shaft |00 on opposite sides of the lug ||0 to prevent longitudinal movement of the shaft |08 with respect to the ,pipe |00. A handle ||3 is connected to the upper end of each shaft |08 to facilitate rotation thereof.

Each flexible hose |0| is connected at its outer end to one of the elbows |02 (Figure 8) as previously stated, and the inner end of each hose is connected to an elbow Ill carried by the outer end of a radial pipe I I5. Each hose I 0|, as shown in Figure 2, is curved into substantially semicircular form to provide an ample degree of flexibility between the ends of the hose to permit the burner assemblies to move with respect to the pipes ||5 in a manner to bevdescribed. Each hose |04 may be provided with a conventional gas cock IIS to provide individual regulation of the gas supplied to each of the burners. The radially outer ends of the pipes I I5 are supported by brackets secured at their lower ends to the respective bearings 85, as shown in Figure 7.

Gas is supplied to the pipes H5 from a central manifold I I8 supported by the standard I2 and rotatable with respect thereto. A stationary supply pipe IIB is arranged above the manifold |I8 axially thereof and leads to a suitable supply of the combustible gaseous mixture employed for the burners. The manifold IIB is connected to a swivel |20 in which is arranged a body of packing' |2| surrounding the machined lower end of the pipe I9. This packing provides a leak-proof joint between the pipe IIS, which is stationary,

and the manifold |I8 which rotates with the' burners and associated elements about the axis of the standard |2. A main cut off valve |22 is arranged in the pipe ||9.

As previously stated, the burners are normally substantially vertical except for the slight incliprovided for moving the burners out of normal position during a certain portion of the operation of the apparatus. Referring to Figures 2, 4, 7 and 8, the numeral |23 designates an arcuate cam 'track having its ends sloped downwardly as at |24 and |25, the trackway |23, throughout its length, being concentric with the standard I2. Upon the rotation of the burners, the rollers contact with the inclined end |24 of the trackway, thus swinging the shafts 08 to turn the burner assemblies to the angular position shown in dotted lines in Figure 8 and at the right hand side of Figure l. This turning movement also causes each cam linger 92 to ride on the inclined surface of the cam recess 93, thus moving the associated burner structure radially outwardly to the position shown in Figure 7. The trackway |23 is supported by the outer ends of radial arms I26 the inner ends of which are carried by a hub |21 secured to the standard I2 and accordingly fixed against movement with respect thereto.

A stone |28 is arranged at one side of the apparatus and is mounted to lightly contact with the glassware on the line heated by the burners, the stone being mounted slightly beyond the point at which the burners are turned and moved radially outwardly bythe trackway |23. As the burners move past the stone |28, therefore, they will be arranged radially outwardly of the stone and accordingly the latter is not subjected to any heat from the burners. As will be explained below in connection with the present method, the stone is not essential in the apparatus, but its use greatly facilitates the operation of the apparatus and permits it to be operated at substantially higher speeds. Upon the initial light contacting of the stone |28 with the glassware, the cullet immediately cracks oil. and drops into a suitable collecting trough |29. The apparatus rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2, and the trough |29 extends counter-clockwise a substantial distance ahead of the point at which the ware contacts the stone |28, for a reason to be described.

The stone |28 is spring balanced in its normal position and is subject to adjustment vertically, and radially with respect to the standard I2. A post |30 is arranged radially outwardly of the trough' |29, as clearly shown in Figure 7, and is secured at its lower end to a horizontal support |3I extending beneath and secured to the stationary plate 29. One end of the trough |29 also is secured to the support |30, and the other end of the trough is secured tol the plate 28 by a suitable bracket |32 extending therebeneath.

The upper end of the post is slidable in a collar |33 having a horizontal platform |34 formed integral with its upper end. The collar |33 is adapted to be fixed in vertically adjusted positions with respectto the post |30 by means of a set screw |35, the mounting of the platform |34 and associated parts on the post |30 being clearly shown in Figure 9. At one side of the post |30 is arranged a threaded shaft |38 having its lower end threaded in a boss |31 carried by the post |30. The shaft extends upwardly through the platform |34 and is provided at its upper end with a hand wheel |38 having a hub |30 supported on the platform |34.` A collar I 00 is fixed to the shaft |36 and engages against the lower face oi the platform |34'. Accordingly it will be appaing flange |4| to which a horizontal support |42 has 'one edge pivotally connected as at |43. A pair of bolts |44 are secured at their lower ends to the platform |34 and extend upwardly through suitable openings in the support |42. Compression springs |45 surround the bolts |44 above and below the support |42 and are operative for spring-balancing the supportin the normal position shown in yFigures 1. 4, 'l and 9.

The support |42 is provided with a rectangular opening |46 through which extends a similarly shaped shank P|41 adapted to be ilxed against longitudinal movement in the opening'l46 by a thumb screw or the like |48. The shank |41 has an integral stem portion extending radially "inwardly with respect to the apparatus as a whole and supports the stone |26, a nut |50 being employed for securing thevstone in position on the stem |49. .It will be apparent that the stone |26 does not rotate butwhenever desired, the nut |50 may be loosened to turn the stone and thus present different portions of the edge thereof for contact with the glassware.

A stem |5| (Figure '1) is threaded in the outer end of theshank |41 and extends outwardly beof the stem |5| in one direction. The stem |5|v also carries a collar |54 engaging the inner face of the plate.|52 to prevent movement of the stem |5| in the other direction. Accordingly it will be apparent that upon the loosening of the thumb screw |43, the knob |53 may be rotated to adjust the position of the stone |26.

Automatic take olf means are provided for the finished ware. Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 6,

`the numeral |55 designates a support similar to the support 3| and having its radially inner end bolted against the bottom of the plate 23. The outerend of the support |55 carries a pair of upstanding bearing brackets |56. A conveyor belt |51 passes around a roller |56 journaled between the upper ends of the posts |56. the upper run of the conveyor being operative for conveying glassware away from the apparatus after being fed to the conveyor in a manner to be described.

Each post |56 carries apair of upstanding arms |56 between which is arranged a chute |60 which may be formed of any desired material. For example, the body of the chute may be formed of sheet metal |6| lined with a layer of felt or the like |62. The chute |60 curves downwardly and outwardly as shown in Figure 6, the upper end of the chute having its bottom portion arranged slightly below the level `of the lowermost point of each article of glassware supported on the rollers 50. 'Ihe lower end of the chute is substantially verticallyarranged and approximatelyv semi-circular in cross-section as indicated by the numeral |63 in Figure 2.' Toward its upper end, the chute |60 increases substantiallyinV the chuteisto insure the receiving of discharged glassware in the chute,` as will become apparent. A rodor arm (Figures-5 and 6) extends angularly inwardly above the outer extremities of' the rollers 50, the outer end of this rod extending downwardly for connection with one of the chute supports |50 as at |56 (Figure 1). It willbe apparent that with the apparatus rotating in a clockwise direction, the successive articles, after ybeing cracked oil, will engage the arm |65 to bemoved radially outwardly to and thus discharged 4into the chute |60 and guided to a vertical posivthe limits of the variations in the driving ratio provided byJ the variable speed transmission. If the handle I1 is rotated to move the motor |3 away from the shaft 23, the belt 20 will move the conical cones away from each other to engage these cones in a semi-circular line of reduced diameter. Under such conditionsthe shaft 23 will be driven at a relatively higher speed. Conversely, the handle |1 may be operated to move the motor |3 toward the shaft 23, in which case the arc of engagement of the belt 20with the pulleys 22 will be increased, thus relatively reducing the speed of rotationv of the shaftk 23. As previously stated, the variable speed transmission per se forms no part of the present invention, but its use is desired.in order that the rate of production of the apparatus may be varied to any desired point Within its limits.

Rotation of the shaft 23 drives the worm wheel 26 through the worm 25, thus driving the shaft 21 (Figures 1 and 4) and rotating the gear 33 through the pinion 31. The standard |2 is stavtionary and the plate 29 is secured to the standard and thus fixed against rotaryv movement. The

plate 35 and gear 33 are iixed to the sleeve 32,

and accordingly the gear 33 rotates the plate 35. 'I'hus it will be apparent that the spindles 4| travel in an orbital path around the axis of the standard I2, and the spindles are rotated on their own axes through engagement of the pinions 42 with the gear 3|.

Rotation of the spindles 4| drives the shafts 44 through the bevel gears 45 and'46, and since each gear 41 meshes with a pair of the pinions 55, it will be apparent that the rollers 50 will be constantly rotated on their own axes during rotation of the plate 35 about the axis of the standard- I2. Both rollers of each pair will be rotated in the same direction. The operator may stand adjacent the apparatus just to the left o'f the chute |50 as viewed in Figure 2 and may feed successive articles of glasswareto the rollers 50. These articles are in the form shown in Figure 3 with the cullets 64 thereon, and in placing\the articles on the rollers the operator preferably will slide them along the rollers into engagement with the stop members 62. The operator may place an article upon each pair of approaching rollers 50, as will be apparent.. As the plate 35 rotates about the axis of lthe standard |2, the bottom or radially inner ends of the articles will remain in contact with the faces 63 of the s top members due to the radial inclination of the top portions of the rollers 50 which support the articles.. Thus the articles may be placed freely on the successive pairs of rollers and will remain in their correct positions without the use of any gripping means, as are now employed for rigidly. fixing a glass, article in position during the etching operation.

In this connection, it will be noted that with the present method and apparatus it is wholly unnecessary to etch aline around the article of glassware.

With articles of glassware oi the general character shown in Figure 3, the hold-down members 69 are wholly unnecessary since the centers of gravity of the articles will be wholly inwardly of the outer ends of the rollers 50. In the case of very short articles which will be overbalanced by the substantial weights of the cullets 8l the members 69 may be adjusted to lightly engage the glassware to prevent the articles from being overbalanced by the cullets.

Attention is invited to the fact that at the point at which the articles are placed on the rollers 50, the adjacent burner will be arranged in inoperative position, that is, with the roller 95 (Figures '7 and 8) still in engagement with the horizontal portion of the trackway |23. The adjacent burner thus will be in the dotted line position shown in Figure 8, in which case the flame from the burner will be projected at a substantial angle away from the rollers which are being loaded. When the burner is in the inoperative position referred to, the cam finger will be turned with respect to the cam recess 93. After an article of glassware is placed on a pair of the rollers 58, the corresponding burner will return to normal position. As the roller 95 of such burner Wreaches the inclined end |25 of the trackway, the arm 94 is permitted to movedownwardly and the corresponding compression spring 91 urges the corresponding shaft radially inwardly. The engagement of the inclined cam faces thus will swing 'the burner to its normal or substantially vertical position.

. Slightly beyond the point at which the rollers are loaded, therefore, the burner will project a narrow flame directly against the glass article to heat a very narrow zone in the plane at which it is desired to crack oil the glassware. The ame is projected substantially in the cracking ofi plane due to the inclination of the burner, as shown in Figure 3. During the projection of the burner flame against the ware, it will be apparent that the Vlatter is being constantly rotated by its associated supporting rollers 50.

Each successive article of glassware will be rotated and subjected to the action of its associated burner in the same manner. The apparatus rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2, the narrow zone of heating of each article being raised to a progressively higher temperature during the rotation of the apparatus. As each article approaches the stone |28 it is ready to be subjected tothe action of the latter to be cracked off in accordance with the preferred practice of the method through which the cracking of! operations may be carried out at a relatively rapid rate as will\be explained. y

As each successive unit approaches the stone |28, the roller 95 of the associated burner supporting shaft 88 will engage the upwardly inclined end |24 of the trackway, and thus the shaft 88 will be swung to turn the burner to the angular position shown in dotted lines in Figure 8. At the same time, the turning operation of the shaft results in the axial movement thereof due to the engagement of the cam elements 92 and 83, and accordingly the burner will be moved outwardly to the position shown in Figure 7. Accordingly the flame from the burner will be projected wholly out of alignment Withthe stone |28, and when the burner passes the stone, the latter will not be subjected to the action ot the burnerand accordingly will remain cool. The heating ot the narrow zone around the glass article in the manner referred to sets up internal stresses in the body of the glass around a shallow line and the glass will have a substantial tendency to crack on.

The cracking ofl.' operation will be initiated by the contact of the glass with the stone. In this connection it will be noted that the stone is spring balanced in\ such a position that-the bottom extremity of the stone will lightly contact with the glass, no substantial pressure or abrasive action being necessary to cause the ware to crack on immediately upon its contact with the s-tone. Apparently the slight contraction of one point of the heated zone of the ware initiates the cracking olf operation, which operation takes place immediately and perfectly upon light contact with the stone. The cullet drops into the trough |29 to be periodically collected therefrom.

After the cracking 0E operation has been completed, the continued rotationof the apparatus continues to move the finished article of glassware in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2, and accordingly the bottom or radially inner end of the ware will be brought into contact with the bar which is arranged just above the rollers 5U and in the angular position shown in Figure 2. As the apparatusrotates the bar |65 causes the glass article to be moved radially outwardly along the rollers until its center of gravity passes beyond the outer ends of the rollers whereupon-the glass will tip over 'into the chute liiil. The upper end of this chute is relatively wide in order to insure the reception of the article of glassware, the dierent articles being discharged at slightly different points in accordance with the specific distribution of weight in the different articles.

The upper ends of the brackets 53 (Figure 3) are curved as at 54 in the manner described to facilitate the discharging of the glass articles. If these elements were square at their upper ends. their contact with the radially moving article would tend to resist the sliding movement of the article, whereas the curving of the upper ends of the brackets 53 facilitates the entrance of the article into the chute |60. As the article is discharged through the chute |60, the vertical curvature of the latter guides the glassware to a vertical position, and the tapering of the chute toward its lower end guides the article laterally, if necessary, to position it centrally of the upper run of the conveyor belt |51. Thus this belt receives the successively discharged articles in a vertical position and conveys them to any desired rcollecting point.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the p'resent apparatus provides for the successive and continuous cracking on of glass articles and requires the use of only a single operator to feed the successive articles to the rollers 50. This is the only manual operation necessary, all other operations being carried out automatically. such as the moving of the burners to normal position, the rotating of the ware in the path of the burner name, the moving of the burners to inoperative position, the positive cracking ofi.' of the ware, the collection of the cullets in the trough |29, and the discharging of the inished ware by the chute |60 to the take-0H conveyor.

The apparatus also provides adjustments for taking care of various types and sizes of glassware. For example, the stop members 62 may be 40 Y engage each successive article of glassware. Axial sired nish'ed height of the glassware.A To accomplishthis, it merely is necessary for the operator to rotate the handle 18, whereupon the bevel pinionl'l will rotate the bevel gear 18, and thus impart simultaneous and equal rotation to the" bevel pinions 80 (Figure 3). These pinions are fixed against axial movement and have threaded r engagement with the threaded inner ends of the shafts 58. Rotation of each pinion I8|), therefore,

moves its associated shaft |58 axially to transmit similar movement to the corresponding stop member 62. As previously stated, one of these stop members is provided with a pointer 88 (Figure 2) operating over a scale 8| which 'is preferably calibrated in inches to indicate the height of the finished article. The setting of the pointer 88 will adjust all of the stop members 62 to exactly the same position, and accordingly it will be apparent that operation of the handle i9 serves to simultaneously adjust all of the stop members.

For articles of different diameters, the burners also may be adjusted with respect to the ware. This adjustment is very readily accomplished by turning the handlesr ||8 (Figure 3) to rotate the threaded shafts |08 and thus adjust the height of the burners with' 4respect to their supports 89.

The vertical adjustment ofthe burners takes4 place in a plane parallel to the faces 63 of the corresponding stop members, and accordingly the burner adjustment does not affect the accuracy of the setting of the pointer 80 along the scale 8|.

The stone |28 also -may be readily adjusted in the manner previously described. `Referring to Figures l and 9 it will be noted that vertical adjustment of the stone may be accomplished merely by loosening the thumb screw |35, turning the hand wheel |38, and then tightening the thumb screw |35. The stone is vertically adjusted to the proper position to cause it to lightly adjustment of the stone may be readily accomplished by loosening the thumb screw |48 (Figures 7 and 9), rotating the knob |53, and then tightening the thumb screw |48. Once this 'adjustment has been made, no furtherI adjustment is necessary except in changing stones, between which there may be some slight variation. However, the wearing of the' stone is negligible, and it rarely is necessary to replace the stone. It will be noted that the` stone is provided with a relatively sharp edge which engages the glassware,

and as wear takes place after a long period of use, the nut '|50 may be loosened to permit the stone to be' turned to a different position.

I have found that the cracking oi of glassware maybe accomplished without the necessity for rigidly supporting and rotating an article while etching a linetherearound, and then cracking oil the ware along Y.the etched line. Such conventional method of procedure is extremely time conly longer period than glassware 'is now subjected' .to the momentary action of a cracking off burner. The apparatus described is particularly advantageous for practicing the method referred to.

quickly and accurately set according to the de- The ware is supported on the rollers 88 and rotated thereby .while the narrow flame from each burnerheats a narrow zone completely around the ware. If this rotation of the ware and the heating thereof is carried out for several seconds .ware will crack oif beforeit reaches the stone |28..

With' the presenti apparatus, therefore, approximately thirty-six glasses can be cracked ofrper minute, and this rate greatlyexceeds the rate at which glassware can be-cracked oil' at present by each operator. It has been found that the uniform heating of a narrow zone of the ware will cause it to crack off more nearly perfectly-than' can be done in accordance with conventional practice.

The use of the stone |28 isv preferred in connection with the method and apparatus for the reason that it permits an yeven greater rate ofV production. If the supporting table 35 is rotated somewhat more rapidly than the rate indicated above, the cracking off of the ware usually will not take place before the ware reaches the stone |28, but the instant the stone contacts with the ware, the cracking ofi operation is initiated and instantaneously completed. At slightly more than three revolutions per minute, an occasional varticle will crack off shortly before reaching the stone |28, and the trough |28 accordingly is preferably elongated in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the apparatus in order to catch the occasional cullets which crack oil ahead of the stone |28. At a greater speed of rotation of the apparatus, none of the ware will crack oil under the influence of the heat from the burner, but the cracking off of the ware invariably occurs the instant the ware contacts with the stone |28. The use of the stone, therefore, permits the present apparatus to crack on from forty to seventy glasses per minute, depending upon the thickness of the ware.

Accordingly the present invention contemplates the provision of a methodof cracking od glassware by heating the ware in a thin circumferential line. In order to provide a greater rate of production, the method also` contemplates. in additionto the heating of the ware along` a thin circumferential line, the contacting of the ware on the heated line by a relatively cool implement which need not necessarily be the stone described. t

As previously stated, it is the common practice to grind .the edges of glassware after the cracking oil! operation, and then to subject the edges of the ware to glazing burners-.to cause the edges to soften and run sni'ooth. The same procedure maybe followed in connection with ware cracked.

off in accordance with the present method. However, because of the fact that the present method and apparatus operate to provide a -smoother cracked oil. edge than is provided with conventional methods, the ware need not be ground but may be glazed directly after it is taken from the cracking-off machine. The ware which has been glazed without grinding does not provide as perfect an edge as is desired for high class ware, but is uniformly almost perfect and provides a ware which is ample in quality for some purposes, as for example, for use in restaurants and the like. This type of glazed ware is` more perfect in its results than ware which has been glazed without grinding after being cracked olf in accordance with conventional methods.

n cordingly it will be apparent that the present method and apparatus decrease the cost of production of tumblers and similar articles of glassware by greatly increasing the rate of production. Moreover, the method and apparatus make possible the production of a Ware of good quality at a substantially lower cost through the elimination oi' the usual grinding operation.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention and the method herein described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various changes in the vpractice of the method and inthe size, shape and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim: Y

1. A cracking-oft` machine comprising a plurality of units each including a pair of substantially horizontal rollers for supporting an article of glassware and rotating it on its axis and a burner mounted to direct a, relatively thin ilame against the ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, common driving means for rotating said rollers on their axes and for successively moving said units past a predetermined loading point, and means for moving each burner to direct its name in a different direction while the corresponding unit is passing said loading point.

2. A cracking-ofi machine comprising a plurality of units each including a pair of substantially horizontal rollers for supporting an article of glassware and rotating it on its axis and a burner mounted to direct 'a relatively thin flame against the ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, common driving means for rotating said rollers on their axes and for successively moving said units past a predetermined loading point, means for moving each burner to direct its ame in a different direction while the corresponding unit is passing said loading point, and a relatively stationary implement arranged a predetermined distance from said loading point and positioned to contact each successive article on its circumferentially heated line.

3. A cracking-off machine comprising a pair of adjacent elongated rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article oi?A glassware and rotating it on its axis, the portions of said rollers contacting with the article being inclined slightly from the horizontal to tend to move the ware in one direction longitudinally of the rollers, means for limiting the movement of the Ware in such direction, a burner for directing a thin ame against the ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, means for bodily moving said rollers and said burner, and an implement mounted adjacent the path of bodily movement of said burner and arranged to contact with the article on its circumferentially heated line.

4. A cracking-off machine comprising a. rotatable table, a plurality of pairs of adjacent elongated rollers arranged substantially radially with respect'to said table, each `pair of rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware and having the portions -of such rollers in contact with the article sloping downwardly radially'inwardly with respect to said table, means for limiting the radially inward movement of an article supported by each pair of rollers, and a plurality of burners mounted for rotation with said table and each arranged for directing a thin flame against an article on one pair of rollers radially outwardly thereof.

5. A cracking-oil' machine comprising a pair of adjacent elongated rollers forming the sole means for supporting .an article of glassware and rotating it on its axis, the portions of said rollers f contacting with the article being inclined slightly from the horizontal to tend to move the ware in one direction longitudinally of the rollers, means for limiting the movement of the ware in such direction, a burner for directing athin flame against the ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, means for bodily moving said rollers and said burner past a predetermined loading point, and means operative fordirecting the ame from the burner in a different direction while passing said loading point.

6. A cracking-off machine comprising a pair of adjacent elongated rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware and ro tating it on its axis, the portions of said rollers contacting with the article being inclined slightly from the horizontal to tend to move the Ware in one direction longitudinally of the. rollers, means for limiting the movement of the Ware in such direction, a burner for directing a thin flame against the ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, means for bodily moving said rollers and said burner past a predetermined loading point, means operative for directing the ame from the burner in a different direction while passing said loading point and an implement arranged at a point spaced from said loading point and positioned to contact with the ware on its circumferentially heated line.

'7. A cracking-off machine comprising a plurality of units each including a pair of 'rollers for supporting an article of glassware for rotation on its axis, said rollers being slightly inclined from the horizontal to tend to move the ware in one direction longitudinally with respect to said rollers, astop member for hunting movement of the ware in such direction, and a burner for directing a narrow llame against the ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, andl common means for simultaneously adjusting said stop members.

8. A cracking-olf machine comprising a. plurality of units each including a pair of rollers for supporting an article of glassware for rotation on its axis, said rollers being slightly inclined from the horizontal to tend to move the ware in one direction longitudinally with respect to said rollers, a stop member for limiting movement of the ware in such direction, and a burner for directing a narrow iiame against the ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, common means for simultaneously adjusting said stop members, means for successively moving said units past a predetermined loading lpoint, and automatic means for directing the name of each burner away from the ware as it passes said loading point.

9. A cracking-olf machine comprising a plurality of units each including a` pair of rollers for supporting an article of glassware for rotation on its axis, said rollers being slightly inclined from the horizontal to tend to move the ware in one direction longitudinally with respect to said rollers, a stop member for limiting movement of the ware in such direction, and burnv circumferential line, common means for simultaneously adjusting said stop members, and an implement engageable with each article on its circumferentially heated line after the flame oi. the burner has been directed against the ware for a predetermined length of time,

10. A cracking-off machine comprising a plurality of units each including a pair of rollers for l supporting an article of glassware for rotation on its axis, said rollers being slightly inclined from the horizontal to tend to move the ware in one 'direction longitudinally with respect to said rollers, a stop member for limiting movement of the ware in such direction, and a burner for directing a narrow flame against 'the Ware during rotation thereof to heat it along a thin circumferential line, common means for simultaneously' adjusting said stop members, means for successively moving said units past a predetermined loading point, automatic means for directing the flame of each burner away from the ware as it passes said loading point, and an implement arranged a predetermined distance from said loading point and lpositioned to engage each successive article on its circumferentially heated line.

11. A cracking-oft machine comprising a rotatable table, a plurality oi pairs ofv adjacent elongated rollers arranged substantially radially with respect to said table, each pair of rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware and having the portions of such rollers in contact with thelarticle sloping downwardly radially inwardly with respect to saidtab1e, means for .limiting the radially inward movement of an article supported by each pair of rollers, a plurality of burners mounted for rotation' with said table and each arranged for directing a thin flame against an article on one pair of rollers radially outwardly thereof, and a relatively stationary implement mounted adjacent the path of circular movement oi the articles incident to rotation of said table and arranged to contact each successive article on its-circumferentially heated line.

12. A cracking-off machine comprising a rotatable table, a plurality of pairs oi adjacent elongated rollers arranged substantially radially with respect to said table, each pair of rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware and having the portions of such rollers in contact with the article sloping downwardly radially inwardly with respectvto said table, means for limiting the radially inward movement of an article supported by each pair of rollers, and burner means for continuously heating the articles supported on the rollers during a substantial portion of the rotational movement of said table.' 4 .j

13. A cracking-oil machine comprising a rotatable table, a plurality of pairs oi.' adjacent elongated rollers arranged substantially radially with respect to said table, each pair of rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware and having the portions of such rollers in contact with the article sloping downwardly radially inwardly with respectv to said table, means for limiting the radially inward movement of an article supported by each pair of rollers,

` burner means for continuously heating the articles supported on the rollers duringa substantial portion'of the rotational 'movement of said table, and an implement mounted adjacent the path of circular movement of the articles incontact with the successive articles on their circumierentially heated lines.

cident to .rotation of said table and arranged to Y 14. A cracking-ofi machine comprising a rorespect to said table, each pair oi rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware, means arranged to contact with the article on each pair'of rollers to limit movement of the article radially inwardly with respect to said table. and a burner arranged with respect to each pair oi' rollers for directing a thin iiame against an article supported thereon.

15. A cracking-of! machine comprising a rotatable table, a plurality of pairs of ladjacent elongated rollers having their axes substantially horizontal and arranged substantially radially with respect to said table, each roller being tapered to increase in size radially outwardly with respect to said table, each pair oi.' rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware, means arranged to contact with the article on each pair of rollers to limit movement of the article radially inwardly with respect' to said table, a pinion carried by one roller of each pair, means for simultaneously drivingsaid pinions to rotate -each article of glassware on its axis, and a burner arranged with respect to each pair of rollers for directing a thin flame against an article supported thereon.

16. A cracking-ofi machine comprising a rotatable table, a plurality of pairs of adjacent elongatedrollers having their axes substantially horizontal and arranged substantially radially with respect to said table, each roller being tapered to increase in size radially outwardly with vrespect to said table, each pair of rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware, means arranged to contact with the article on each pair of rollers to limit movement of the article radially inwardly with respect to said table, a burner associated with each pair of rollers and normally directing a thin flame against an article supported thereon, means for supporting each burner for rocking movement on a substantially horizontal axis, and means operative during a portion of the rotation of said-table 'for turning each burner on its axis to direct the iiame away from the article of glassware.

17. A cracking-off machinecomprising a rotatable table, a plurality of pairs of adjacent elongated rollers having their axes substantially horizontal and arranged substantially radially with respect to said table, each roller being tapered to increase in size radially outwardly with respect to said table, each pair of rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware, means arranged to contact with the article on each pair of rollers to limit movement of the to said table to direct the name away from the adjacent article of glassware.

18. A cracking-off machine comprising a rotatable table, a plurality of pairs of adjacent elongated rollers having their axes substantially horizontal and arranged substantially radially with respect to said table, eachroller being tapered to increase in size radially outwardly with respect to said table, each pair of rollers forming the sole means for supporting an article of glassware, a stop element engageable with an article of glass- 1'0 ware on each pair of rollers for limiting move-` 

